Mikal Bridges' first season with the New York Knicks is in the books, and the results were mixed. He wasn't the elite defender fans thought the team was getting, and he didn't consistently knock down three-pointers, either. Bridges had some key plays throughout the postseason, with Games 1 and 2 in Boston being the first that come to mind.
The 28-year-old will be eligible to sign a four-year extension worth up to $156 million this offseason. If Bridges doesn't, he'll become an unrestricted free agent next summer, paving the way for him to sign with another team if he desires. The Knicks didn't send the Nets a haul of first-round picks for Bridges to hang around for only two years. New York should want to get an extension done this summer, but the question is, will Bridges?
He hasn't given any indication that he doesn't want to stay with the Knicks. He reunited with two of his Villanova friends (three if you count the four offseason months that Donte DiVincenzo was his teammate) and was part of New York's deepest playoff run in 25 years. The Knicks have a lot to build on and should be right back at the top of the conference again next season.
Knicks wing Mikal Bridges will be extension-eligible this offseason
What if Bridges wants more money? That would be one reason for him to wait to hit free agency next summer.
One could argue that perhaps Bridges would be open to leaving New York in free agency due to Tom Thibodeau, but the Knicks fired him. Bridges said earlier in the season that he asked Thibodeau to back off the starters' minutes. Keep in mind that Bridges, who was drafted in 2018, has never missed an NBA game. He wanted to see some of the bench players receive more minutes, but perhaps he also felt that playing starters high minutes wasn't sustainable.
SNY's Ian Begley reported that during end-of-season meetings, players pointed out areas where the head coach could've been better, which contributed to his departure. Maybe Bridges was one of those players. How he felt alone wouldn't have been enough to sway New York to fire Thibodeau, but the front office does need to think about Bridges' happiness, as he's entering the final season of his contract.
Bridges will be eligible to sign an extension as soon as July 6, and the deadline to sign one will be June 30, 2026. Part of the reason Brunson signed a team-friendly extension last summer is that he wanted to give the Knicks the flexibility to do other things, such as re-signing Bridges, which should be an offseason priority.
Hopefully, an extension will occur before the season starts, because if not, the possibility of him leaving will become an in-season distraction.